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The concert, to be held at Toquet Hall, was the brain child of Staples senior Lauren Weinberger, whose grandmother died from a heart attack at age 60.
Since she was at least 7-years-old, Lauren has helped raise funds for the association by walking in the annual Heart Walk at Sherwood Island. In December of her sophomore year, the student actor and singer came up with the idea of combining her passion for supporting the nonprofit with her love for singing.
“I’m in Staples Players and so are all my best friends, and people enjoy watching us perform,” said Lauren. “That’s when I thought to myself ‘I’ve got all this talent in my back pocket, why not use it to raise money for charity.’”
The concert features Lauren and about 20 other student singers, some of whom are from Weston, she said. This year, the group will perform Broadway tunes and a variety of pop-culture hits from over the years —including songs by The Beatles, Billy Joel and Adele —performed with piano accompaniment.
The first two "Listen to the Beat" concerts were huge successes, Lauren said, having raised a total of over $10,000 for the American Heart Association. She hopes this year’s concert will raise at least $5,000.
“This is such an amazing community event to come out and support, and we’re grateful for any support we receive from the community,” she said.
The concert, sponsored by CVS and Garelick and Herbs, will be broken into two acts. There will be 10 intermission between the acts featuring food donated by Garelick and Herbs, Lauren said.
The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Toquet Hall, 58 Post Road E. Admission is $15 for students and $20 for adults at the door. Tickets will not be sold in advance. Additional donations will be welcomed throughout the evening.
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